The 38th Tokyo International Film Festival took place from 27 October to 5 November 2025 at Yūrakuchō-Marunouchi-Ginza area. The festival opened with 2025 Japanese biographical film Climbing for Life directed by Junji Sakamoto about the life of Junko Tabei. The opening was attended by the director Sakamoto, Sayuri Yoshinaga, Rena Nōnen, festival navigator Kumi Takiuchi, and other Japanese and international stars, including Takumi Saitoh, Misato Morita, China’s Fan Bingbing and Peter Chan, and French actress Juliette Binoche.
Carlo Chatrian, Italian journalist, author and programmer will serve as the Jury President of international competition. Chloé Zhao, Chinese-born filmmaker, and Lee Sang-il, Japanese-born film director and screenwriter, were honoured with Kurosawa Akira Award for their extraordinary contributions to world cinema. Sayuri Yoshinaga, Japanese actress and activist and Yoji Yamada, Japanese film director, will be honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award.
The closing ceremony was held on November 5, 2025, where the various awards were announced. Palestine 36, a 2025 historical drama written and directed by Annemarie Jacir won the Tokyo Grand Prix, while 2025 documentary film We Are the Fruits of the Forest by Rithy Panh won the Special Jury Prize. The festival closed with the screening of an American–British co-produced historical drama Hamnet by Chloé Zhao.
Overview The film registration for the festival began in April 2025 with the closing date for submission fixed for July 7, 2025.
Takiuchi Kumi was appointed this year's festival navigator. She will "navigate" the audience at official events as the face of the festival.
The poster unveiled on September 19, was created by Japanese graphic designer Oshima Idea in collaboration with Rikiya Imaizumi, a Japanese director. Inspired by the theme of observation and emotional connection, the poster depicts a scene set in a Tokyo café where two women discuss topics like love, war, and politics. Hoshi Moeka portrays the older woman, who complains about her boyfriend, while Ca Non, from the idol group Gang Parade, plays the younger woman who has feelings for the other woman. The poster uses black-and-white stills to reflect the subtle emotional tension between the characters.
The festival unveiled the full lineup of the 38th edition in a press conference held on October 1, 2025.
The festival concluded on November 5, 2025 with Michael Rivas as master of ceremonies. Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo was chief guest. In this edition 184 films were screened, with 69,162 admissions. 163,009 audience attended the various events held during the festival.
Juries
The juries consists of the following members:
Main competition Carlo Chatrian, journalist, cinema critic and artistic director – Jury president Gwei Lun-mei, Taiwanese actress Matthieu Laclau, Film editor Takumi Saitoh, Japanese actor and filmmaker Vivian Qu, Chinese film director, screenwriter and producer
TIFF Ethical Film Award
Elaiza Ikeda, Philippine-born Japanese actress, fashion model and singer, President of the jury Uozumi Soichiro Sudo Rimi Tsumura Yuka
Asian Future Jury Ellen Y.D. Kim, Director of Asian Contents & Film Market, Busan International Film Festival Matsunaga Daishi, Director Nishizawa Akihiro, Programming Manager
Screening venues
The following venues will host the festival screenings.
Marunouchi TOEI Marunouchi Piccadilly Toho Cinemas Hibiya Yurakucho Yomiuri Hall Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho Humantrust Cinema Yurakucho Cine Switch Ginza (Chuo City) Toho Cinemas, Chanter Hulic Hall Tokyo Hibiya Step Square LEXUS MEETS... Mitsubishi Building 1F M+ Success Tokyo Takarazuka Theater (Chiyoda, Tokyo)
Official Selection
The festival from this year will consist of ten main sections.
Opening and closing films
Climbing for Life by Junji Sakamoto will be opening film of the festival to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Junko Tabei's Everest achievement.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country(ies)Opening film Climbing for Life てっぺんの向こうにあなたがいる Junji Sakamoto Japan Centerpiece Screening Tokyo Taxi TOKYOタクシー Yoji Yamada JapanClosing film Hamnet Chloé Zhao United Kingdom, United States
International Competition
The main competition has 15 films vying for Tokyo Grand Prix.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production CountryAtropia Hailey Gates United States Blonde 金髪 Sakashita Yuichiro Japan Echoes of Motherhood 恒星の向こう側 Nakagawa Ryutaro JapanGolem in Pompei Amos Gitai France Heads or Tails? Testa o croce? Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis Italy, United States Hen Kota György Pálfi Greece, Germany, HungaryMaria Vitória Mário Patrocínio Portugal Morte Cucina ครัวสาว Pen-ek Ratanaruang Thailand Mother Мајка Teona Strugar Mitevska Belgium, North Macedonia Mother Bhumi 地母 Chong Keat Aun Malaysia, Hong Kong, Italy, Saudi Arabia Mothertongue 春树 Zhang Lü China Palestine 36 فلسطين ٣٦ Annemarie Jacir Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark Sermon to the Void Boşluğa xütbə Hilal Baydarov Azerbaijan, Mexico, Turkey Take Off Pengfei China We Are the Fruits of the Forest Nous sommes les fruits de la forêt Rithy Panh Cambodia, France
Gala Selection
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Gala Selection.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Blue Boy Trial Iizuka Kasho Japan Bring Him Down to a Portable Size 兄を持ち運べるサイズに Nakano Ryota Japan / France / China Can't Cry With Your Face 君の顔では泣けない Sakashita Yuichiro JapanEddington Ari Aster United States Holy Night: Demon Hunters 거룩한 밤: 데몬 헌터스 Lim Dae-hee South Korea Love on Trial 恋愛裁判 Koji Fukada Japan Night Flower ナイトフラワー Uchida Eiji Japan One Last Throw 栄光のバックホーム Akiyama Jun JapanRental Family Hikari United States, Japan She's Got No Name 酱园弄·悬案 Peter Chan ChinaSirāt Oliver Laxe France, Spain Sons of the Neon Night 風林火山 Juno Mak China, Hong KongSpringsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere Scott Cooper United States
World Focus The following films were selected for the World Focus section, which focuses on international films.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Girls on Wire 想飞的女孩 Vivian Qu ChinaKiss of the Spider Woman Bill Condon United States Kopitiam Days Yeo Siew Hua, Shoki Lin, M. Rihan Halim, Tan Siyou, Don Aravind, Ong Kuo Sin Singapore The Lake Le Lac Fabrice Aragno Switzerland Magellan Magalhães Lav Diaz Portugal, Spain, France, Philippines, TaiwanMare's Nest Ben Rivers United Kingdom, France, Canada The Mastermind Kelly ReichardtUnited States, United Kingdom Tunnels: Sun In The Dark Địa đạo: Mặt trời trong bóng tối Bui Thac Chuyen Vietnam The Captive El cautivo Alejandro Amenábar Spain, ItalyDreams Michel Franco Mexico, United StatesMatador Pedro Almodóvar Spain The Wave La ola Sebastián Lelio Chile April 丟包阿公到我家 Freddy Tang Taiwan Crown Shyness 樹冠羞避 Chang Chun-yu Taiwan Double Happiness 雙囍 Joseph Chen-chieh Hsu Taiwan The Waves Will Carry Us 人生海海 Lau Kek-huat TaiwanKika Alexe Poukine Belgium, France Vitrival – The Most Beautiful Village in the World Vitrival Noëlle Bastin, Baptiste Bogaert Belgium Black God, White Devil Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol Glauber Rocha Brazil The Dragon of Wickedness Against the Holy Warrior O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro Glauber Rocha Brazil Central Station Central do Brasil Walter Salles Brazil White House Kasa Branca Luciano Vidigal Brazil The Blue Trail O Último Azul Gabriel Mascaro Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, ChileMilton Bituca Nascimento Flávia Moraes Brazil
Asian Future The following films were selected to compete in the Asian Future section, which features films from Asian directors who have directed a maximum of three feature films.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Journey into Sato Tadao Terasaki Mizuho Japan The Chatterboxes Kawai Ken Japan Far in the Middle of the East Door Dar Mianeh Shargh Arash Aneessee Iran, Austria The Greatest Funeral Hits En Güzel Cenaze Şarkıları Ziya Demirel Turkey Halo 헤일로 Roh Young-wan South Korea Kiiroiko きいろいこ Imai Mika Japan Linka Linka 林卡林卡 Kangdrun China Noah’s Daughter دختر نوح Amirreza Jalalian Iran Number 23 第二十三号 Xia Hao China The Old Man and His Car Michael Kam Singapore Tomorrow’s Min-Jae 내일의 민재 Park Young-jae South Korea
Nippon Cinema Now
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Saikai Paradise 西海楽園 Tsuruoka Keiko Japan White Flowers and Fruits 白の花実 Sakamoto Yukari Japan In Their Traces 魂のきせき Kobayashi Shigeru Japan Echoes of the Orient Yang Liping Japan All Greens 万事快調〈オール・グリーンズ〉 Koyama Takashi Japan Poca Pon ポカポン Ohtsuka Shin-ichi Japan TimeLimit Elizabeth Miyaji Japan Lost Land Harà Watan Akio Fujimoto Japan, France, Malaysia, GermanySpecial screening Dear Stranger ディア・ストレンジャー Tetsuya Mariko Japan, Taiwan, United States
Women’s Empowerment
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country 100 Sunset Kunsang Kyirong Canada About Me Nomoto Kozue Japan Cinema Jazireh Kino Džazíra Gözde Kural Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania Happy Birthday هابي بيرث داي Sarah Goher Egypt I Am Nevenka Soy Nevenka Icíar Bollaín Spain, Italy Sato and Sato 佐藤さんと佐藤さん Chihiro Amano Japan Someone Like Me 像我這樣的愛情 Tam Wai-ching Hong Kong Animation The following films were selected for the Animation section. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Allah Is Not Obliged Allah n'est pas obligé Zaven Najjar France Angel's Egg 4K Restoration 天使のたまご 4Kリマスター Mamoru Oshii Japan ChaO チァオ Yasuhiro Aoki Japan Decorado Alberto Vázquez Spain, Portugal I Am Frankelda Soy Frankelda Arturo and Roy Ambriz Mexico The Last Blossom ホウセンカ Baku Kinoshita Japan
Japanese Classics The following films were selected for the Japanese Classics section.
Year English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country 1998 April Story四月物語 Shunji Iwai Japan 1958 Conflagration炎上 Kon Ichikawa Japan 1985Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters Paul SchraderUnited States, Japan 1996 Shall We Dance?Shall we ダンス? Masayuki Suo Japan 1996 Swallowtail Butterflyスワロウテイル? Shunji Iwai Japan Youth
The following films were selected for the Youth section.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production CountryMad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) Joel Alfonso Vargas United States The StrangerL'ÉtrangerFrançois OzonFrance TIFF 2025: Teens Meet Cinema - World Premiere Screening Event + TIFF Teens Cine Club 2025 Presentation TIFFティーンズ映画教室2025上映会 + TIFFティーンズ・シネクラブ2025報告会 Panelists:Ikematsu Sosuke (Actor / Member of Cine Club), Dohi Etsuko (Children Meet Cinema) Japan TIFF International Symposium on Film Education: Challenges for Film Education Networks and Practitioners TIFF映画教育国際シンポジウム2025～映画教育のネットワークと担い手の課題～ Panelists: Veerle Snijders (Eye Filmmuseum), Iwasaki Yuko / Suwa Nobuhiro / Dohi Etsuko Japan
TIFF Series The following television series were selected for the TIFF Series section.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Scandal Eve スキャンダルイブ Kanai Kou Japan
Awards The awards were announced on November 5 in the closing ceremony:
Tokyo Grand Prix, (The Governor of Tokyo Award): Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir, Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark Special Jury Prize: We Are the Fruits of the Forest by Rithy Panh Award for Best Director: Zhang Lü for Mothertongue Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis for Heads or Tails? Award for Best Actor: Wang Chuanjun for Mothertongue Award for Best Actress: Momoko Fukuchi and Naomi Kawase for Echoes of Motherhood Award for Best Artistic Contribution: Mother by Teona Strugar Mitevska, Belgium, North Macedonia The Audience Award: Blonde by Sakashita Yuichiro, Japan Asian Future Best Film Award: Halo by Roh Young-wan, South Korea TIFF Ethical Film Award: White House by Luciano Vidigal, Brazil Asian Students’ Grand Prix Award: Floating by Lee Ji-yun, South Korea Kurosawa Akira Award: Lee Sang-il, Japanese film director and screenwriter